# America's Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation

In this examination of the arc of American history through the lens of compulsive behavior, Kendall shows how some of the nation's greatest achievements - from the Declaration of Independence to the invention of the iPhone - have roots in the disappointments and frustrations of early childhood. Starting with the obsessive natures of some of the Silicon Valley's titans, including Steve Jobs, Kendall moves on to profile seven iconic figures, such as founding father Thomas Jefferson, licentious librarian Melvil Dewey, condiment kingpin H.J. Heinz, slugger Ted Williams and cosmetics queen Estee Lauder, who was so obsessed with touching other women's faces that she transformed her compulsion into a multibillion-dollar corporation.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2013
- By: Library Of Congress
- Genres: Education, Science, History
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2021689165/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2021689165?play=1)